Irish immigration to Montserrat


Irish immigration to Montserrat dates back to the 17th century during the period of plantation owners and slavery. Montserrat is a Caribbean island and overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is also known as "The Emerald Isle of The Caribbean" due to the large population of people with Irish descent living there. Irish people first arrived to the island in 1632 and people of mixed race with Irish descent still live on the island.

Background

Montserrat was first colonized by Irish Catholics in 1632, who were sent there by Sir Thomas Warner, the first British governor of neighbouring St Kitts. After the settlement, more Irish settlers were attracted from colonial Virgina and they established plantations to grow tobacco and indigo, which would eventually by followed by cotton and sugar.
Large numbers of Irish people emigrated to Montserrat, generally as merchant's labourers and servants. By the mid-seventeenth century, Irish Catholics accounted for the majority of the roughly 1,000 families resident on the island. Following Cromwell's victory in Ireland in 1653, it is estimated that as many as 10,000 Catholics were transported to the West Indies, some settling on Montserrat. Irish people accounted for almost 70% of Montserrat's white population by the late seventeenth century, thus "registering the highest concentration of persons of Irish ethnicity of any colony in the history of both the first and second English empires".
These Irish people not only made up most of the population but they grew wealthy and played a huge role in the island's economy, becoming far more successful than their English and Scottish counterparts because, as one contemporary explained, They knew how to be tough and efficient slave masters.

Slavery and indentured servitude

Irish settlement in Montserrat was strongly associated with the growth in slavery and the trade that accompanied it. Indentured servants accounted for the majority of people migrating to Montserrat. Almost fifty to sixty percent of the labour flow from Britain to its many colonies during the early seventeenth century were servants. Many Irish migrants were attracted to the large supply of employment available in the sugar industry. This production of sugar was fueled by planters with Irish descent with over a third of the island's sugar estates being run by Irish families Some wealthy Irish merchant families set up plantations and networks in the Caribbean which provided employment for the thousands of Irish immigrants willing to travel to Montserrat. Almost half of the whole population of the West Indies by the mid-seventeenth century were Irish. By 1730 Montserrat's economy was almost entirely dependent on this industry which resulted in a change in the population demographics as more slaves from Africa were required as labourers to keep the booming industry going. The decline of the sugar industry resulted in a decline of the number of labourers needed, from 1735 onwards saw a decrease in sugar production which had detrimental effects on those relying on it as a source of income. Slavery was abolished in Montserrat by the Slavery Abolition Act 1833.

Culture and Influence

The remains of Irish culture in Montserrat are evident in modern times. This can be seen in the island's flag and crest which portrays a woman with a harp and cross. Montserrat's national emblem is an Irish shamrock adorning Government house, again associated with the traditional Irish shamrock. Other cultural influences include music, value systems, and the Irish recipe for the national dish "goat water stew." These influences are a large part of Irish heritage in Montserrat history. The spoken language of the island is English and the native inhabitants of Montserrat speak with a hint of an Irish accent.

St. Patrick's Day

Identified as a national holiday in Montserrat, Saint Patrick's Day is a week long festival celebrated every year since 1985. It is a day spent in celebration of the uprising by the enslaved and the free communities against the oppression and poverty suffered at the hands of the wealthy plantation owners. Along with traditional Caribbean entertainment, the festival also provides a rich mix of African and Irish heritage.